Dead Man Walking
by BlackenedGass
Summary: It all started off as normal business trip for John Hangly, but he could never comprehend what is waiting for him...
1. An Urgent Appointment

**Here is an old fanfic I wrote many many years ago. It was orginally to part of a side-series that I had dreamed up, although if I might revisit it someday. With the 50th Anniversary of Doctor Who upon us it seems to be a good time to put it up.**

Cardiff: 1875

As the train sped through the countryside, fast approaching the station from which I would reach my appointment, I found my thoughts interrupted suddenly by the door to my compartment opening and a man who looked to be in his late fifties entering and sitting down on the seat in front of me. His appearance was very striking: a large hat, a long black cloak, a cane clutched in his hand and a bushy handlebar moustache. He also wore a small pair of spectacles, behind which were two intensely blue eyes. Catching my gaze, he smiled and held out his hand. 'Good afternoon. My name is Arthur Syntan, and I hope that I am not disturbing you.'  
'I'm sorry to say it, but you are.' I replied, ignoring the hand of friendship that was being offered to me. 'This is a reserved compartment, and I hope you have a good reason to intrude on me here, or I shall have the conductor remove you.'  
The man leaned forward, speaking quietly. 'I have reason to believe, Mr. Hangly, that you are about to meet someone. Someone who says that they can help you in your business.'  
This momentarily caught me off guard. Having a complete stranger enter a reserved area and asking you about something only you can know can be unsettling. But it was true, I worked within the famous building company Jonn Corp., and it was my job to seek work for the company.  
I had been sitting in my office, going through the post, when a letter caught my eye. It wasn't special at first on closer examination the handwriting was found to be like that of a child, but I knew that no child would be writing to a building company so I read it. It was from a Mr. John Hughes. The writing, which as I continued got no better, was blocky, as if someone was writing with the hand not normally used for writing. I shall not go into details, as there were some atrocious spelling mistakes as well. It basically informed me of would be a valuable site that he wished to have renovated. It had once been an undertaker's, but had been destroyed in a gas explosion. He had bought the property in the hope of starting an unspecified business there, and so I had set off to meet him today.  
I recovered from my astonishment quickly. 'So what if I am? Who are you to intrude on my business there?'  
Mr. Syntan leaned backwards, surveying me over the top of his glasses with the look of someone who knew everything. 'There are many things associated with the person you are about to see. Ask yourself this: How did he know about your Jonn Corp? How did he even know who you are personally? And why was his writing so peculiar?' Abruptly he stood up. 'I am afraid I must leave you now, Mr. Hangly, but I feel that it is more than certain that we shall meet again.' He doffed his hat to me, then left, shutting the door behind him, and leaving me reeling in horror at the amount of information he knew.


	2. An Invitation

I disembarked from the train quickly, hoping to see the mysterious Mr. Syntan as he left the station, but I wasn't fast enough and I didn't see him in the crowd of people that emerged shortly after myself. It suddenly occurred to me that I did not know what the person I was waiting for looked like, nor, I realised, had we even arranged a proper time to meet. I was trying to think of what to do, even contemplating the idea of re-entering the train and heading back to London, when a man pushed his way through the crowd towards me. As he got close he held out his hand. 'Hangly?' he asked 'Mr. Bernard Hangly?'  
'Yes that's right. Are you John Hughes?'  
The man looked confused, as if he had forgotten something, then suddenly smiled and shook hands with me. His hands were cold despite the relatively warm weather. 'Yes, it's good to meet you. Would you care to follow me?' and with that he turned and began to push through the crowd to the exit.I desperately tried to keep up with him. As I emerged from the crowd, I was immediately drawn to a carriage that was painted entirely in gold, black and blue. Mr. Hughes was walking towards it, and I hastened to catch up when I got closer I saw that my cases had been added to the luggage rack at the back. Mr. Hughes beckoned for me to get on and I did so, sitting down and shutting the door behind me. I turned and glanced out of the ... and saw, at the back of the crowd, the unmistakable face of Arthur Syntan! He was staring right at me, and I knew that I was not mistaken. I immediately threw open the window and leaned out, but by then we were turning a corner and he disappeared into the crowd once more. 'Problems?' asked Mr. Hughes. I turned back to him and smiled as warmly as I could. 'Just thought I saw an old friend of mine at the station. If you hadn't got us moving so quickly, I'd hoped to stay and chat with him.'  
Mr. Hughes waved his hand in apology. 'Forgive me, but we must travel fast, as it is urgent that we get to town soon.'  
'I hope you'll forgive asking, but where exactly are we going?'  
Mr. Hughes grinned. 'I shan't tell you, Mr. Hangly, as it will spoil the surprise that awaits you.'  
I found the way he said this very disconcerting, and so decided to change the subject. 'What business are you hoping to start?'  
At this he laughed and said 'Once more, my friend, you'll find out tonight.'


	3. At The Inn

We arrived in the town some time later. Night had not yet fallen, but it was getting late, so Mr. Hughes directed his coach to a small inn on the outskirts. We checked in for the night, and I was shown to my room. My luggage was bought up for me, and I unpacked. I was just settling down for the night when there was a knocking on the door. I opened it to find John Hughes outside. "Sorry to disturb you, Mr. Hangly but I was wondering if I could have a quick chat with you".  
'What do you wish to talk about?'  
'Your problems.'  
I could feel my anger rising now. 'There are no problems. My life is on an even keel. I have a good job and a good family.' Even as I said this I could feel my mind going back to my family, who were probably sitting down right now, having a meal...  
'Ah, yes. Your family... Tell me, Mr. Hangly, what are they doing now?'  
I found myself concentrating. 'They are having a meal. It's a roast. Different kinds of food. They are wondering what I am doing right now...' I shook my head to clear my thoughts. 'What are you doing to me?'  
'I am not doing anything, Mr. Hangly. I am merely encouraging your latent psychic abilities.'  
'Psy- what?'  
'Psychic!' said Mr. Hughes impatiently. 'The ability to move from one place to the other by the power of the mind! The ability to move objects purely with the power of thought! And,' he leaned closer towards me, 'The power to read minds. You can't deny what has been happening.'  
I couldn't hold it in any longer. 'You're right… it's been getting stronger lately…" and I found myself telling him everything.  
It had all started on one fateful day when I was young. My mother had taken me shopping with her and we were witnesses to an altercation between a man and a coach driver. The man had been angry about being late for an appointment. At first I thought nothing of it but for one brief moment his eyes made contact with me… and my head felt like it would explode. It was full of images of the man's life. It had been all over in an instant, but it had terrified me.  
Gradually I managed to overcome the experience until a few years later when it happened again. It then began to resurface periodically… I'd be near someone and I'd suddenly hear what seemed to be his or her voice in my head. It terrified me that I could not control this phenomenon. At first the words were indistinguishable, but eventually they became more clear, until I realised what I was hearing.  
I was hearing their inner thoughts.  
Fortunately as I grew older the occurrences became less and less until I would only hear the thoughts during cases of strong emotions.  
John Hughes listened to my story with barely concealed glee. After I had finished he leapt to his feet, causing me to back away in alarm. Noticing this, his whole personality abruptly changed back to a friendly one and he sat down again. 'I am sorry for my excitement. Psychic powers lie dormant in all of us, and I like to help out with people in any way I can.' He stood up. 'But to business. Would you care to accompany me to the site? We can examine things before it gets dark.' I nodded, and, grabbing my coat,followed him out of the room.


	4. The Basement

The site was an old building. Mr. Hughes said that it was reportedly destroyed in a gas explosion, but he had never quite believed the story, and had tried to find out the truth. He hoped that with knowledge on buildings I could somehow determine what happened, or at least the builders who were to demolish it would be able to find out.  
Dusk had fallen by the time we arrived. There wasn't a soul on the street, apparently because the spirits of the owner and his maid, who were had both been killed in the explosion, reputedly haunted the building, their screams echoing out onto the streets and terrifying passers-by. We ascended up the stairs to the spot where the front door had once been. Inside, the bottom floor, most of the outer walls and the basement remained, but the rest was gone. I paused on the threshold, Mr. Hughes behind me. 'What is it?' he asked.  
I could suddenly hear what seemed to be a thousand voices deep in the recesses inside my head. 'I'm not sure. I seem to feel ... a presence. Deep in my mind ... ' realisation suddenly hit me and I spun round accusingly. 'This explains our little "discussion" earlier on, then. You wanted me to come here and use my "psychic" abilities to find out what happened here by contacting the spirit world!'  
Mr. Hughes grinned. 'I must confess that is partly why. But, if you recall, I didn't notice that you had powers until you had arrived. I genuinely do want you to see if this place can be rebuilt. Shall we continue?' he gestured towards the basement. I nodded and walked over to the door.  
A staircase went downwards into the gloom. I hesitated at the top, feeling the presence once again in my mind. It appeared to get stronger with every step, and was overpowering by the time I reached the bottom.  
It was a lot darker on the staircase than it was outside, and we both lit out lanterns as we descended into the dankness. At the foot of the stairs was a door. I opened it and we stepped into the room beyond. There, I stopped in horror. 'Good God!'  
The room was small, with several tables arranged against the walls, but this wasn't what alarmed me. On each of the tables was a body, with a cloth draped clumsily over it. 'What is this place?' I demanded, turning to Hughes. He as well was looking around the basement in what appeared to be horror. A solitary lantern sat on the floor, illuminating the entire room. Hughes crossed to it and picked it up. 'Someone's been here before us.'  
'But who?'  
'I don't know. Let's have a look around.'  
I stepped into the room and nearly staggered. It felt as if a great weight was on top of my head, trying to push me into the ground, and the voices had begun to grow louder. I at once felt Mr. Hughes' reassuring hand on my shoulder. 'Is the presence getting stronger?' he whispered. I nodded, and he smiled not unkindly. 'You must go to the point where it is strongest. Then we might find the answers that I seek.'  
As I began to walk across the room, the weight got heavier and the voices grew louder until I felt that I should pass out. Suddenly my gaze fell on an archway on the other side of the room. I knew instinctively, that this is where the presence emanated from. 'It's that archway,' I whispered hoarsely 'that is where it's coming from.'  
'Then step into it,' whispered Hughes excitedly, persuasively. 'Step into it and let it tell us what we wish to know.'  
I was barely three steps away when the gunshot rang out. I spun round in time to see Mr. Hughes jerk as a bullet hit him in the shoulder. Another shot rang out, and as I watched Mr. Hughes was sent staggering back by the force of the impact. He finally lost his balance and collapsed into the shadows, both lanterns he held shattering on the floor. He did not get up. I spun round to the staircase. Standing there, gun pointing at me, was Arthur Syntan! He smiled and with his free hand raised his hat in greeting, at the same time lowering his gun. At once I began to move over to where Hughes lay, Syntan's gun sprang up to cover me 'Don't, Mr. Hangly.'  
I hastily moved away from the body. 'Are you going to shoot me too?'  
Syntan lowered his gun. 'No. I know it is hard to believe, Mr. Hangly, but I'm here to help.'  
Anger replaced my fear. 'Help! Is that how you help people? By murdering innocent men in cold blood?'  
Syntan still remained infuriatingly calm. 'No, Mr. Hangly, I was helping you. And our friend Mr. Hughes was not as innocent as he seemed.'  
'What do you mean?' I demanded.  
But before Syntan could reply there was a shuffling, and from the darkness emerged John Hughes. His eyes were rolled back into his head. As we watched, he opened his mouth and we could see a strange blue light shining from it.  
I took a step forward. 'He is possessed. '  
'No,' whispered Syntan, 'It is more than that.'  
Then Hughes emitted a blood-curdling scream and charged towards us...


	5. The Spirit

It still amazes me how quickly Syntan reacted. In the blink of an eye he had raised his gun and fired. John Hughes was knocked off his feet by the force of the shot, but immediately started to get up again. Without even pausing, Syntan shot him in the leg. As Hughes fell to the floor again, Syntan gripped my arm. 'We must find an exit at once!' I contemplated the stairs, but John Hughes was between them and us and even though he was having trouble I didn't want to go near him. Syntan suddenly made a dash for the wall. What I had taken for a cupboard was actually a door. There probably wouldn't be much space in the room beyond, but at least it would give us time. I dashed in after him. The room was surprisingly large, containing some chairs and a bookcase. I was horrified to see bodies on top of two tables inside the room. As I turned away in disgust, I saw Syntan manoeuvring the bookcase round so that it blocked the door and hastened to help. Soon the bookcase was in place, and we stood back. 'It should take him some time to get through that.' He turned round to face me. 'I believe, Mr. Hangly, that I owe you an explanation.'  
He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a wad of papers that had been untidily bound together. As he untied them and handed them to me, he offered me an explanation. 'I had to stop you from entering the archway. I too have done a lot of research on the place, though I feel that I have been more successful then our enterprising Mr. Hughes.' From his jacket pocket he produced a small card and handed it to me. 'Arthur Syntan' it read. 'Private Detective'. I looked up at Arthur in surprise, but he merely gestured for me to continue reading, which I did. The papers he had given me seemed to be taken out of someone's diary. The beginning was missing, but I read nevertheless.  
'... The basement was not as large as I expected, but I felt it still was an appropriate place where everything should come to an end. The strange Doctor fellow instructed the maid to stand in an archway, where apparently the forces were at their strongest. (Here there was a sketch of the basement in question and I noted, with surprise, that the archway where I felt the presence strongest was the same one in the drawing. I hastily returned to reading.) The maid then proceeded to concentrate, and I was surprised when a large blue light began to appear around her. Strange, ghost-like things began to fly from this light and enter the corpses that were dotted around the room. An unearthly voice was singing the praises of the Doctor.  
But suddenly, everything changed. The light became the colour of fire, and the corpses suddenly lurched to their feet and began to advance towards us. The voice suddenly became low and evil, shouting out in triumph. "At last!" it boomed 'With the shells you have provided for us, the Gelth are free from their imprisonment ... '"  
I could not read any more. I needed questions answered. I looked at Arthur Syntan 'Is this some kind of joke? Who wrote this?'  
There was no humour in his eyes. 'A joke, Mr. Hangly? We have just seen a man get to his feet after being shot fatally. And that page is an extract from the diary of Charles Dickens.'  
This took a few seconds to penetrate my mind. I was becoming more and more convinced that this was a joke. Why would Charles Dickens write this sort of thing? Except...  
'I also wish to show you this' said Syntan, interrupting my thoughts and handing me a large book. He opened it at a marked page. It was a list of people who had died, followed by the date of death. I scanned down the list. 'Jane Hark, died 14th November 1865 ... George Homley, died 22nd April 1868...' I looked up from the book. 'So?'  
For answer he pointed down at a particular name. I looked down at it and froze.  
'John Hughes, died 1st December 1869.' I hastily looked at the front cover, which said the name of the undertakers, and also the address.  
It was the address for this building.  
I slammed the book shut. 'So what you are trying to tell me, Mr. Syntan, is that a man you just killed has in fact been dead for several years?'  
'Yes.'  
'And his body is in fact being controlled by some sort of supernatural entity?'  
That's right.'  
'And you expect me to believe that?'  
Syntan's eye's twinkled in the lamplight. 'What other reason could there be for what you have seen?''  
I struggled to find a plausible reason 'It could be a case of… no, it must be…' finally I gave up. 'I don't know.'  
Syntan smiled not unkindly. 'Don't worry, Mr. Hangly, I know things are confusing right now, but right now our priority is stopping Hughes. And talking about Hughes,' he said, turning to the door, 'he's gone rather quiet out there. What's he up to?'  
As if on cue my head exploded in pain. The voices were right in my ears this time and I could hear them as clear as day.  
'Help us!'  
'Help us please!'  
On and on they pleaded until I thought my head would explode. I sank to my knees, clutching my head. Through a haze of pain I could see Syntan watching worriedly. He was shouting something but I could not make it out. The volume of the voices grew to a shattering crescendo, when suddenly I could hear one voice, clearer than the others, amongst them.  
'Hangly…'  
It sounded familiar, it took me a few moments to recognise it.  
'It's me Hangly, don't you recognise me?'  
It was John Hughes.  
'Focus on my voice Hangly. Concentrate!'  
I did as he instructed and the other voices began to fade as his became clearer.  
'What do you want?' I asked him.  
'Your help.'  
'My help?'  
'My… people are trapped in the void beyond this world. They are dying, they need to come into this world.'  
'Why?'  
'Survival. Nothing can survive in the void. We are dying.'  
'But why me? How can I help?'  
The voice chuckled softly. 'Your powers, Hangly! A powerful psychic force is what is needed to cross over.' A tone of desperation entered the voice. 'Please, Hangly... I, we, beg for your help…'  
'I was almost convinced. However, I could not forget what I had found out. 'Syntan says…'  
'Syntan!' thundered the voice. 'You would listen to a man who shoots first and asks questions afterwards? He wants us dead, and is using you as his unwitting pawn!' The sheer rage of the voice rang through my head.  
'Please! Stop!'  
The voice calmed. 'I am sorry, Hangly. Syntan is out to stop us.'  
'He showed me evidence… you have tried this before several years ago.'  
There was a silence for a moment, and then the voice returned. 'Perhaps I should show you.'  
Before I could respond my mind was filled with images. I saw ethereal blue spectres, thousands of them floating in what seemed to be the void. It was a sight I could have never before imagined. Every colour I could think of and more was on display, amongst which the spectres floated about serenely. I was speechless at the sight.  
It was beautiful.  
Suddenly Hughes' voice returned. 'I know what you are thinking, Hangly, but as, your people say, beauty is in the eye of the beholder…'  
As I watched a state of agitation appeared to come over the spectres. A small opening suddenly appeared for a few seconds, but it was enough for a few spectres to be sucked in. Instantly a loud scream appeared in my head. 'The void is a cold, unthinking force of nature Hangly. It sometimes snatches our kind away, sending them to parts unknown where they are unable to survive. Their screams echo through us for all eternity. But that isn't all…'  
As I watched, one of the spectres suddenly drifted slowly away from the group, it's movements unfocussed. It seemed to be dissolving, like an object weakened by water. 'In these forms, we cannot hold ourselves together in this environment. We need shells to sustain ourselves in…'  
'Which is why you are…'  
'Inhabiting one of your deceased, yes.' There was no trace of regret in his voice.'  
'It's wrong… unethical… it's disrespectful to the…'  
'Hangly, please! It is a use for that which has already been spent! There is no other way! Will you help us?'  
I tried to argue, to protest, but all I could think about was the sight of the spectres, they were Gelth I realised now, screaming in pain and desperation, and I knew what I was going to say.  
'Yes… Yes, I'll do it.'


	6. Release

I opened my eyes to see the concerned face of Arthur Syntan looking down at me. 'Hangly! Thank God! I thought you were…'  
'Don't worry Syntan, I'm fine.' I spoke with a certainty and conviction that I had not felt before. As I got to my feet and walked to the bookcase, I remembered what Hughes had told me just before I had awoken.  
'Syntan will try to prevent you from saving us. He must be stopped.'  
'How should I do that?'  
'Just get him outside the room, I'll do the rest.'  
I passed over to the bookcase and began to move it aside. 'Help me with this.'  
Syntan stared suspiciously at me. 'What are you doing, Mr. Hangly?'  
'I think it's safe to leave. That… creature has obviously left.'  
Syntan stood in silence for a few moments, and then nodded. He walked over and helped me to move the bookcase. Once it was in position, I made for the door but Syntan stepped in front of me. 'I'll go first in case our friend Mr. Hughes tries anything.' He drew his gun from his pocket and cautiously opened the door. He stuck his gun through the gap and scanned the area intently. With a sudden compulsion, I pushed him through the door. Caught off guard, Syntan was struggling to regain his balance when Hughes jumped him from where he had been hiding behind the door. He raised a plank of wood and brought it down hard on the back of Syntan's head. As Syntan collapsed unconscious, Hughes turned towards me. I was horrified by how much he had changed in the few minutes that had passed. His left leg was a mess, although he seemed to be able to walk unaided. His shoulder and chest had large, gaping holes from where Syntan had shot him, and the same, blue light shine from his mouth. Alarmed, I backed away, thing that I had made a terrible mistake. Abruptly, Hughes' smiled at me. 'Do not be alarmed by my appearance Hangly. I am quite unharmed.' He extended his hand towards me. 'Are you ready?'  
I thought of the pain and suffering I had seen the Gelth going through and immediately dismissed all fears from my mind.  
'Yes, I am ready. Let's go and rescue your people.'


	7. A New Age

I stood in front of the arch, building up my courage to step into it. Despite my early conviction, I must admit to being nervous as the climax drew closer. Behind me Syntan lay on the ground, still unconscious and bound securely by ropes we had found in the basement. Standing at my shoulder was the battered body of John Hughes. 'These bodies are rather cumbersome to use at first, but I'm certain they will get the hang of operating them as I did.'  
I couldn't help but laugh. 'Took you some time, yes?'  
'Quite.' Replied Hughes dryly. 'It took a while to even learn to write.'  
A piece of the puzzle clicked into place. 'That explains why the writing in your letter was so –'  
'Basic.' Finished Hughes, smiling wryly. Abruptly a sense of impatience entered his voice. 'There is not much time left, Hangly. We must begin.'  
'What do I do?'  
'Step into the archway and open your mind. I will guide you.'  
I nodded and stepped cautiously into the archway.  
'You're making a mistake, Mr. Hangly.'  
Both Hughes and I turned round in surprise to face the now conscious Arthur Syntan. Despite his predicament, he was in surprisingly good spirits. 'You're being used, Mr. Hangly. If you follow this creature's instructions you will bring about the destruction of everything.'  
Hughes looked down at him angrily. 'When the new age begins, Syntan, you will most assuredly not have a place in it.'  
'New age?' asked Syntan.  
'The age of Man and Gelth.'  
To his fury, Syntan laughed mockingly. 'Man and Gelth? More like Gelth alone! Mr. Hangly, if we are indeed about to witness the dawn of a new age, do you honestly think there are enough bodies here to hold all of the –' he was silenced as Hughes kicked him sharply in the stomach. I should have protested to this treatment, but instead only felt happiness and contentment at my role in the dawn of a new age. 'I am ready.'  
'Excellent!' said Hughes excitedly. 'My kind are in the void. I want you to find them. Follow their voices.'  
I closed my eyes and focussed on the voices that I could hear. I allowed them to become stronger and soon I once again saw the image of the void form before me. 'I see it.' I whispered. 'I've found them.'  
The image grew stronger and stronger as my mind drew closer. Soon it felt as if I was floating in the void itself. For a few minutes I simply allowed myself to drift, overcome by the awe of where I was, enjoying the feeling of time floating passed me on it's never-ending journey. 'Don't lose concentration Hangly, or you'll be lost forever' said Hughes.  
I shook myself out of my trance and remembered my mission. I turned around to find the Gelth and stopped frozen in horror.  
Floating below me were the Gelth, but there were more than I had seen before. Hundreds, no, thousands were there. I remembered what Syntan had said before: 'If we are indeed about to witness the dawn of a new age, do you honestly think there are enough bodies here to hold all of the –'  
He was right. There was not near enough bodies to hold all of these Gelth. 'Hangly, have you found them?' I heard Hughes say.  
'Yes, but –' I tried to warn him.  
'Excellent. I'll take over from here.'  
Suddenly a voice that wasn't mine emerged from my lips. 'My brethren! The way is open! Follow my voice! Our chance is now!'  
At once the mass of Gelth below me suddenly became more focussed, all of them flying up towards me. In a panic, I shut my eyes and willed myself back to the basement. I had to warn Hughes.  
'Hangly! What are you doing?' screamed Hughes. I opened my eyes and found that I was back in the basement. A wind had sprung up, and was growing stronger every second. 'There aren't enough!' I said urgently.  
'Enough what?'  
'Bodies! There aren't enough here to house all of your kind!'  
To my surprise, the thing known as Hughes laughed. 'Of course there aren't. There are enough here to house a few, and from that we can get more. An advance guard if you will.'  
'More? Where will you get more from so…?' and abruptly I knew. These creatures were by no means benevolent. They intended to kill living people for shells.  
I had been tricked.  
'Yes, Hangly, I can see you've guessed our intentions.'  
'Thousands of people will die!'  
'We shall live. That is all that matters.'  
I tried to jump to my feet, to break the link, but to my horror found I was unable to move. 'Once the link is open it cannot be broken Hangly. You will serve your purpose one way or another.'  
I could feel the triumphant cries of the Gelth growing louder as they drew nearer. Their eagerness to escape was frightening, but Hughes shared in their excitement. He stood erect, eyes closed, and I knew he could hear them as well. 'Yes, my brethren, the way to freedom is here!'  
But behind him somebody appeared as if from nowhere. Alerted by some sixth sense, Hughes spun round to face Arthur Syntan. 'You! How were you –'  
Before he could reply Syntan raised the knife he was holding for Hughes to see. 'I always come prepared.'  
And he plunged the knife into Hughes' chest.  
Before Hughes could react Syntan punched him hard in the face. Hughes tumbled backwards. His concentration broken, I could hear the triumphant screams of the Gelth become that of panic as they lost their beacon and were flying blind. I watched, powerless, as Hughes scrambled to his feet and pulled the still bloodless knife from his chest. Syntan's eyes darted around quickly, and he saw what he was looking for and dived for it. Hughes jumped after him, but Syntan was too fast for him. He grabbed his gun from where it had fallen and jammed it into Hughes' face. I forced myself to shut my eyes. I head the sound of a shot, and then felt someone trying to pull me up. I opened my eyes to see Syntan in front of me. 'Hangly, move! We've got to get out of here!'  
'I can't! The link –'  
'What?'  
'The link's too strong! I can't move!'  
A look of panic came briefly across his face as he tried to think of a way to help. He looked around the room eagerly, his gaze lingering on his gun for a perhaps a fraction too long. Finally out of options, he turned round and without any warning punched me.  
There was a lot of strength in the blow and I was hurled backwards, out of the archway. Instantly the paralysis was gone from my body and I found I could move again. Syntan rushed over to help me. 'I'm sorry about that, Mr. Hangly, but we have to get out now!'  
A movement behind him got my attention and I did my best to shout a warning, but it was too late. The indestructible John Hughes grabbed him while he was still turning and threw him into the wall. As Syntan fell into apparent unconsciousness, Hughes turned back to face me. Any hope that I had that he really did have good intentions vanished instantly. The thing standing before me was more demon than man. Hughes' face was ruined from the gunshot, a gaping hole in the jaw. When he opened his mouth teeth knocked loose came pouring out. But the worst thing was the light. The light had once been a calming blue, was now a fiery red. Despite his injuries, his voice could be heard as clear as day. 'I see that I need to take a more direct approach.' With a sudden turn of speed he grabbed me and dragged me back into the archway. I struggled but like Syntan he was surprisingly strong. Once we reached the archway, he put his thumbs to my forehead and closed his eyes in concentration. Instantly I could feel his presence in my mind…  
And suddenly we were in the void again. The wind that had disrupted the basement was even stronger here, and I realised for the first time that the void was no place for any living thing. I looked at Hughes in surprise. 'You have powers as well.'  
'Yes,' admitted Hughes. 'Not strong enough to open the void though.' A grin came across the ruined face. 'But now I have you Hangly, and under my personal supervision the Gelth shall pass through into your world.'  
He turned me round to face the advancing mass of Gelth. They rushed towards us eagerly, their screams of horror now ones of triumph. I was overwhelmed by the panic within me. I struggled in Hughes' grip but he kept hold firmly. 'At last the way forward is clear!' he shouted over the howling wind. 'Our survival is assured! Not even that interfering fool Syntan can stop us now!'  
As if on cue, a familiar voice rang out behind him. 'I'd rather you didn't put me out of the race just yet!'  
We spun round in disbelief but there he was, floating serenely in the void.  
'Syntan!' choked Hughes. 'Then you…?'  
'Yes, I am what you would call partially psychic.' said Syntan simply. 'Not strongly, but with a link this strong a child could enter.' His mood suddenly became deadly serious. 'This is your last chance Hughes. Close the link.'  
Hughes suddenly flung me aside in rage and it was all I could do to stop myself from drifting away. 'We have been trapped in this realm for aeons! So many of us lost… doesn't that mean anything to you?' There was a hint of sadness in his voice. 'We shall die if left here… can you have that on your conscience?'  
I could see Syntan was struggling with what to do. 'Syntan!' I shouted as loudly as I could. 'Remember what they have planned for us! They're cold… merciless!'  
Hughes spun to face me with fire in his eyes but it was too late. Syntan suddenly shot across and hit him with as much strength as he could muster. Caught off guard, Hughes plunged down into the void with an unearthly scream, until he disappeared into the seething mass of Gelth.  
Syntan floated over to where I was and grabbed my hand. 'It's time for us to go.'  
Tears of joy suddenly sprung up in my eyes and I wept unashamedly. The nightmare was over!  
Suddenly a horrendous chorus of scream broke out. The Gelth were nearly upon us! 'It's too late!' yelled Syntan. 'We… we failed!'  
For a moment I stood frozen in horror as the Gelth surged towards us, then I felt my temper rising. 'No! No more! I want this to end!' my voice rose to a shout. 'I want this to end!'  
I felt it happen. As I screamed that last statement, my anger was released from me in a huge wave, hitting the Gelth and sending them spinning away. 'Well done Hangly!' laughed Syntan. 'Now let's go!'  
I closed my eyes and concentrated, willing us back to the basement. I concentrated until it felt as if my head would explode. 'No more of this! I want to go home!'  
Suddenly the wind stopped and I abruptly lost my balance as I regained control of my body. Both Syntan and I steadied each other. 'What – what happened?' I gasped.  
Syntan turned to look at the now lifeless body of Hughes. He gave it a nudge with the toe of his boot but there was no reaction. 'I think, we won, Mr. Hangly'  
I put my hand to my head as realisation dawned upon me. The pressure was gone. The link was closed. It was over. I looked at Syntan and returned his smile. 'Yes, I do believe we did.'


	8. On the Platform

The train that would take me back home was due to arrive soon, and I was more than ready to go. After the events in the basement last night, Syntan and I had parted, Syntan saying that he was going to arrange for the removal of the bodies, sort out proper funerals for them. It seemed that the Gelth had assembled them there by visiting other funeral parlours, killing the undertakers and stealing the bodies that were ready to be buried. I shook my head to clear it. It all seemed like some fantastic dream now, yet I couldn't just dismiss it. I could still feel the wind of the void in my hair, the screams of the Gelth still rang in my ears… The train appearing round the corner jolted me from these memories. As I got to my feet I heard a voice calling me. 'Mr. Hangly!' I turned round. It was Syntan. He smiled at me. 'Off home? Very wise, Mr. Hangly.'  
'Yes. I'm going back to my family. Spend some time with them.' The train pulled in, and a crowd began to gather as those who wanted to get off tried to get through those who were trying to get on. 'I don't know what'll happen about my psychic powers, though.'  
Syntan smiled reassuringly. 'You'll begin to control them fully soon enough. Look how you used them last night. Wouldn't surprise me if you can control them already.' He pulled a watch on a chain from his pocket. 'I'm afraid this is where we part. I myself have an urgent appointment.' He once again offered the hand of friendship. This time I took it. 'Goodbye, Mr. Hangly.'  
'Goodbye.'  
He turned and walked away, pushing among the crowd. As I got my bags ready, something occurred to me. How had he known about my powers? Come to think of it, how did he know my name when we first met? I turned and called after him, but he merely just turned to face me, doffed his hat at me, winked, and was gone.


End file.
